Display package



J. K. WEST DI S PLAY PACKAGE July 15, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 4, 1967 J. K. WEST DISPLAY PACKAGE July 15, 1969 2 Sheets-Sheet 2' Filed Jan. 4, 1967 United States Patent 3,455,440 DISPLAY PACKAGE Joseph K. West, West Springfield, Mass., assignor to Pioneer Packaging, Inc., Chicopee, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Filed Jan. 4, 1967, Ser. No. 607,215 Int. Cl. B65d /06, 61/00, 65/00, 73/00, 75/00 US. Cl. 20645.31 5 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A package having front and back walls joined along their opposite lateral edges and at one end to each other to form an open end sleeve for receiving a collapsible capped tube and for supporting the tube cap down in stable equilibrium with 'a recognizable portion of the tube visible through an opening in one of the walls.

Background of the invention The conventional package for articles such as toothpaste containers, shampoo containers and facial cream containers are four sided and have closure flaps at both ends. Since the conventionl collapsible tube is of relatively large cross-section at the capped end but tapers to a relatively thin edge at the sealed end, the packages must be made of at least the same cross-section as the capped end to receive them and so the major portion of the container constitutes waste space, makes it necessary for stufiing the package with advertising matter to prevent the tube from rattling, and makes a package which is bulky in comparison to its content thereby taking up an excessive amount of space both for storage and shipping purposes.

Summary The principal objects of this invention are to provide a package sufiiciently commodious to receive the article but more nearly contoured to the shape thereof thereby to save material, eliminate stuffing, reduce manufacturing costs by simplifying the die cutting and assembling operations, and provide a more attractive and more easily decorative item.

As herein illustrated, the package comprises two plies of relatively stiff sheet material connected at their lateral edges and at one end to each other to form an open end envelope. The plies which form the front and back of the package are elastically separable at the open end to permit thrusting the article into the envelope and there is means at the open end for holding the article within the envelope after it has been inserted. The front ply contains an opening through which a recognizable portion of the container can be seen and a fiat surface surmounts the opening for receiving indicia or the like. The back ply is provided with a fold line situated medially of the lateral edges which extends from the open end toward but terminating short of the closed end. Additionally there are fold lines originating at the terminal end of the medial fold line which extend therefrom to the lateral edges at the closed end. The front ply may also have a fold line medially of its lateral edges extending from the open end to the opening in this ply. At the closed end the back ply is folded on itself into engagement with the inner surface of the front ply and secured thereto, and a portion of the front ply corresponding in length to the folded in portion of the back ply extends beyond the fold in the back ply. The means at the open end for holding the article in place comprise parts folded inwardly from the front and back plies for engagement with the article and in one form are folded in portions ICC of the front and back plies. In another form a closure flap is hinged to a portion of the front ply, extends across the open end and is tucked into the confronting portion of the back ply.

The invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a front view of the package in its upright position with the article packaged therein shown in dotted lines;

FIG. 2 is a back view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1 as seen from the right side thereof;

FIG. 4 is a front view partly in section;

FIG. 5 is a vertical section, to larger scale, taken on the line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is horizontal section taken on the line 66 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the blank from which the package is made;

FIG. 8 is a front elevation of a modified form of P k g FIG. 9 is a rear view of the package shown in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is 'a side elevation of the package shown in FIG. 8 as seen from the right side;

' FIG. 11 is a front elevation of the package shown in FIG. 8 partly in section;

FIG. 12 is a vertical section, to much larger scale, taken on the line 1212 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 13 is a horizontal section taken on the line 13-13 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 14 is a horizontal section taken on the line 1414 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 15 is a vertical section taken on the line 1515 of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the blank of which the package is made.

Referring to the drawings the package 10 comprises front and back plies 12 and 14 of relatively rigid sheet material, for example, paperboard connected at their lateral edges by hinges 16 and at one end by a hinge 18 to each other to form an open end envelope. The front ply 12 contains an opening 20 of such size as to make the article within the package recognizable.

Collapsiblewall-type containers such as those used for toothpastes, face creams, shampoos, and the like are more or less wedge-shaped, having a relatively large crosssection at the end which is capped and a relatively narrow end where it is sealed and this package is essentially adapted for an article of this shape since the front and back walls will expand sufiiciently when the article is thrust into the open end to provide a wedge-shaped pocket corresponding nearly in volume to the article.

The article is retained in place within the package after being thrust into it by inwardly extending flanges 22 (FIGS. 4 and 5) folded inwardly from the lower edges of the front and back plies toward each other so that their upper edges 24 engage the end of the article at the base of the cap. These flanges 22 are made long enough so that when the article rests on their inner edges the end of the screw cap is flush with the open end of the package and in conjunction therewith afford means for supporting the package in stable equilibrium on a flat surface.

As related above the front and back plies 12 and 14, although comprised of rigid paperboard, are flexible enough to permit separation from each other sufficiently to admit the article. However in the preferred form of the invention it is desirable to provide fold lines in both the front and back plies so that when the article is thrust into place the expansion will take place according to predetermined geometry to provide an attractive configuration. As illustrated (FIG. 1), a fold line 26 is formed in the front ply 12 medially of its opposite edges and extending from the open end to the opening 20. A fold line 28 is formed in the back ply (FIG. 2) medially of its lateral edges and extending from the open end toward the closed end but terminating short thereof somewhat less than half the distance between the ends, and there are additional fold lines 30 which commence at the terminal end of the fold line 28 and extend in opposite directions symmetrically with respect to the center line to the opposite lateral edges. The fold lines 26, 27 and 30 are formed by impressing the material of the plies so that when subjected to stress they will fold on these lines and will impart a specific geometrical pattern both to the front ply and to the back ply.

The closed end of the package is provided for by a portion 32 of the back ply 14 folded inwardly upon itself and secured to the inside of the front ply 12, for example, by means of adhesive and the corresponding portion 34 of the front ply extends beyond the hinge 18 and provides a flat surface for receiving indicia and the like. If desired, the inner side of the back ply may have applied to it decorative media or the back ply may have an opening through it corresponding to or smaller than that of the front ply.

Referring to FIG. 6 there is shown the blank from which the package is made and in this figure corresponding parts are labeled with the same reference characters as those employed in the description of the package heretofore. A tongue t along one edge of the blank provides means for securing the lateral edges of the blank to each other when folded to form the envelope. It is evident from the figure that the blank may be made in a single die-cutting operation.

A modified form of the package is shown in FIGS. 8

to 16 inclusive. Referring to these figures the package 36 comprises front and back plies 38 and 40 joined at their opposite lateral edges and at one end by hinges 42 and 44.

In this form of the invention both the front and bac plies contain openings 46 and 48, respectively, of sufiicient size to enable identification of the article packaged and preferably to admit light through the package from one side to the other so as to display the color of the article or its content. One of the openings may be omitted if desired.

In this form of the invention the front and back plies are provided with fold lines, to wit, a fold line 50 which is situated medially of the lateral edges of the front ply and extends from the open end to the opening 46, a fold line 52 in the back ply medially of the lateral edges and extending from the open edge to the opening 48, and fold lines 54 extending from the upper end of the opening 48 to the lateral edges of the back ply. As related above, the fold lines cause the front and back plies to expand in a definite geometrical pattern. In this instance the fold lines 50 and 52 divide the front and back plies into panels which, when expanded, by insertion of the article produce a cross-section which is quadrilateral at the open end and the open end is provided with a closure in the form of tongues 56 and 58 which are hinged, respectively, to one of the panel portions in the front ply and the confronting panels in the back ply. A cover flap 60 is hinged to another of the panels of the front ply, foldable across the flaps 56 and 58 and provided with a tongue 62 which may be tucked into the open end against the confronting panel of the back ply.

The box-type closure comprising the parts 56, 58, 60 and 62 are available herein in conjunction with the simplified two-ply construction without materially increasing the complexity of manufacture or the cost.

The closed end of the package is provided by a portion 64 of the back ply 40 folded inwardly into engagement with the inside of the front ply 38 and secured thereto, for example, by adhesive and a portion 66 of the front ply extends beyond the hinge 44 and provides a surface for receiving indicia.

The blank for making the package is shown in FIGS. 8 to 16, inclusive, and the parts are marked with reference characters corresponding to those employed in the description of the package itself.

The package in either of its forms may be constructed without openings in either the front or back plies if preferred without departing from the spirit of the invention, and if the openings are omitted the plies may or may not be impressed with fold lines such as those described above which cause the package when expanded to take a predetermined geometrical shape.

The package is compact, corresponds generally to the contour of the article to be packaged, is easy to manufacture, economical of material, attractive in appearance and easily decorative.

What is claimed is:

1. A display package comprised of sheet material folded midway between its opposite edges to form a structure with front and back panels and spaced parallel sides, said front panel, at least, containing a window opening through which an article positioned between the plies may be identified, one side of the structure being consituted by said fold, a side flange integral with an edge of one of the panels folded inwardly between the panels and adhesively secured to the other panel, said flange fold constituting the other side of the structure, an end flange integral with an end of one of the panels folded inwardly between the panels and adhesively secured to the other, said end flange fold constituting a closure for the package at that end, said panels at their opposite ends being unjoined and yieldably resistant to separation in opposition to an article thrust between them to admit the article and to frictionally constrain the article, said unjoined ends of the panels, when spread apart, constituting a footing for supporting the structure in an upright position with the closed end uppermost, and means at the open end for engagement with the lower end of the article at said open end of the structure operable in conjunction with the panels to hold the article in the package.

2. A display package according to claim 1, wherein the front panel extends upwardly beyond the closed end of the package.

3. A display package according to claim 1, wherein the portion of the front panel between the open end of the structure and the adjacent end of the opening therein contains a crease midway between its lateral edges.

4. A display package according to claim -1, wherein the back panel contains a first crease midway between its lateral edges which extends from the open end of the package toward but short of the closed end thereof, and second and third creases which extend from the terminal end of the first crease divergently into the corners of the back panel at the closed end of the package.

5. A display package according to claim 1, wherein said last-named means comprises a flange at the end of each panel extending inwardly and upwardly from the open end toward the closed end, said flanges providing spaced parallel shoulders disposed inwardly of the open end for engagement with the lower end of an article situated in the package to hold the package in place.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,002,608 10/ 1961 Zwickey 206- 45.14 3,270,867 9/1966 Hennessey et al 20645.14 3,302,778 2/ 1967 McGorty et a1. 20645.14 3,315,931 4/1967 Puckett 20645.14

JAMES B. MARBERT, Primary Examiner 

